RELEASE: Stuart Skinner named Calder Trophy finalist

EDMONTON, AB -A great year just got even better for Stuart Skinner.

The 24-year-old was named one of three finalists for the 2022-23 Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player judged to be "the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League" as voted upon by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Skinner finished his first full professional season with a 29-14-5 record, along with a 2.75 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout, helping the Oilers post the second-best record in the Western Conference. The Edmonton product's 29 victories broke the franchise record for wins by a rookie goaltender, surpassing Hockey Hall of Fame member Grant Fuhr's mark of 28 set in 1981-82.

Skinner was monumental down the stretch for the Oilers, sporting a 14-1-1 mark and .920 save percentage after March 1. The 2017 third-round pick finished 10th in the NHL in both wins and save percentage among goaltenders who appeared in at least half of their team's games in 2022-23.

The Calder Trophy is one major award an Oilers player has never won. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011-12) and Jason Arnott (1993-94) were voted as runners-up for the award, losing to Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, respectively -- while Connor McDavid (2015-16) and Grant Fuhr (1981-82) both finished in third place in their eligible years.

In the 90-year history of the Calder Trophy, there have been 16 goaltenders who have won the award, with half of those winners coming in the first 33 years of the trophy's creation. The last netminder to win the award was Steve Mason, who accomplished the feat as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09, when he led the former expansion franchise to their first-ever playoff berth.

The other two finalists for this year's award are Seattle forward Matty Beniers and Buffalo defenceman Owen Power.

The nominees for the Calder Trophy were voted upon by the PHWA prior to the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the winner will be announced during the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 26.